


A Blooming Flower in the Cold Grips of Winter

by meleonon



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Christmas AU, F/M, Ice Skating, Snowmen, Soulmate AU, Yes Jon is in this for a very short time but I'm not tagging him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:22:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21817345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meleonon/pseuds/meleonon
Summary: Throughout her life, Daenerys always thought that she didn't have a soulmate like everyone else since she had nothing to tell her otherwise. Coming off of a breakup with her boyfriend Jon, she assumes that her Christmas holiday will be as grey as the sky above. A spur of the moment decision to enter a small flower shop changes her outlook and she learns that she had been wrong her entire life.
Relationships: Jorah Mormont/Daenerys Targaryen
Comments: 25
Kudos: 61
Collections: A song of frosted bear kisses and dragon roasted chestnuts





	A Blooming Flower in the Cold Grips of Winter

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my submission to this wonderful collection, I hope you all enjoy.

Snowflakes drifted softly from the dreary grey sky, mirroring the small silver haired woman’s mood as she stomped past other city goers.

Envy wasn’t a becoming emotion, but as she walked past smiling and laughing couples, obviously so deep in love, Daenerys couldn’t help the anger from bubbling up at the unfairness of it all.

Wrapping her black and red scarf around her neck to ward off the winter’s chill, she let out a breath that puffed into the air in front of her face.

_Fuck Jon._

_And fuck that little bitch Sansa too._

Her mind returning to the reason of her anger, Daenerys shoved her hands into her pockets with a huff and caught a glance of herself in one of the frosted storefront windows.

She didn’t understand it.

Why Jon would break things off between them, just when Daenerys had thought that they were getting somewhere in their relationship.

Resting her hand on the glass, she met her own gaze in the reflection and was surprised by the morose expression on her face. Breathing out with a gentle sigh, Daenerys knew that she and Jon were never meant to be.

_It was written in the stars by fate_.

That was what Sansa had said when Jon had broken up with Daenerys and oh-so-gently ‘let her go’ from the shared business that they had created together.

Her and Jon.

Jon and her.

That was all Daenerys had known for the past three years and, even if they weren’t soulmates, she would have been happy with him.

It wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t fair at all.

Stepping away from the storefront window, Daenerys crossed the street and continued her aimless wandering. She had left her and Jon’s shared apartment earlier that morning, eager to forget about her troubles, but here she was, thinking about nothing but.

She walked past couple after couple, angry that fate had dealt her a different hand in life.

From a young age, everyone was told that they had a soulmate.

Someone that they were destined to be with.

Everyone had a different way to tell when they had finally met their soulmate.

Her best friend, Missandei, had half of a necklace that would fit with the other half of her soulmate’s.

Daenerys had been happy for her friend when she found Grey Worm, but was saddened when she moved away with him. He was a military man and had been stationed far away and Missandei had gone with him.

Throughout her life, Daenerys had met many people with different types of soulmate markings. For years, she studied the different classifications of markings, eager to find hint as to what hers was.

From timers on their wrists that counted down until the moment you met your soulmate, to having the first or last thing your soulmate says to you written on your arm. Being colorblind up until the first time you touch your soulmate, the world suddenly bursting into a color filled wonderland until your soulmate dies and everything returns to black and white.

Or how about the ring you have since birth that shows your soulmate’s emotion based on the changing color of the gem?

But did Daenerys have any of those?

Nope.

How about not aging after you turn eighteen until you meet your soulmate so that you can both grow old together?

No.

No!

**No!**

She had _nothing._

And she hated fate for it.

Why does everyone else get a soulmate but her?

Moving to the side so a couple with a trio of excited, giggling children could pass by, Daenerys sighed.

It was so near to the holidays and she shouldn’t be feeling sorry for herself.

_But it was so **damn** hard._

She wasn’t looking forward to spending the holidays alone as she had expected to spend them with Jon, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen any longer.

With a sigh, she continued on down the sidewalk, only stopping when a small shop that would be easily missed caught her eye.

It was a flower shop.

Daenerys noticed that the sign said it was open and she wondered how it could still be functioning in the cold grips of winter.

Without thinking what her purpose was, she entered the shop, the bell above the door tinkling as she opened and shut the door behind her.

Eyes wide, she looked around the shop in awe. Everywhere she looked, there were flowers blooming in every color imaginable.

Some were in colorful pots, others were in decorative containers in varying shapes.

She ran her finger over a pot that was shaped like a ship and contained an array of blue, white and yellow flowers, a soft smile coming across her face at the absurdity of this place.

Slipping her jacket off, she draped it over her forearm as she noted that it was well heated in here, likely to keep the flowers growing all year long. Slowly, she made her way around the shop, her eyes lingering on dragon shaped pot that had an exotic flower that Daenerys couldn’t even begin to guess at what it was.

“Oh!” A voice startled Daenerys and she looked over at the man that had come out of the back of the shop.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.” Daenerys let her eyes wander over the man, honestly surprised that he was the one running a flower shop.

He was tall, broad and had a beard that made him look like a bear of a man. In all honesty, he looked like the last person Daenerys had expected. His blue eyes met hers curiously and Daenerys felt the breath leave her lungs as she stared at him, his ginger-blond hair and sharp cheekbones giving him a look that Daenerys could only describe as _gorgeous._

He cocked an eyebrow at her and she realized that she hadn’t said anything to him, she had just spent the last few moments gawking at him stupidly.

“Oh yeah...uh...I just got here.” Daenerys brushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear, smiling at him softly and hoping that he didn’t think she was weird or anything.

The man nodded once, leaning against the front counter and looking at her interestedly.

“Can I get you something? Or are you just looking?” His dulcet tones sent shivers down Daenerys’ spine and she found herself wondering why this man was affecting her like this.

Sure, he looked like he was quite a bit older than her, but that didn’t seem to stop her body from reacting to his blue eyed stare or his gruff timbre.

“Do...you have a flower that says ‘fuck you’?” Daenerys chuckled almost nervously, seeing the way his lower lip twitched into a slight frown and he straightened up almost defensively.

It suddenly occurred to her that he might think she was being aggressive towards him and she shook her head.

“For my ex. He dumped me yesterday.” She explained to him, glad when he relaxed then chuckled.

“Ah, okay. I’ll see what I can do.” The man scratched at his bearded chin as he thought for a few moments, then nodded and headed into the back of the store, leaving Daenerys out in the front alone.

She took the time to look at all of the holiday displays he had, perfectly arranged together with symbolic flowers and ribbons.

They were beautiful.

More so than all of the manufactured plastic decorations that so many people bought each year.

Once Daenerys was certain she had seen all of the different decorations, she headed back up to the front and sat down on a chair that was set in front of the desk as she waited.

Tilting her head to see if she could see that handsome stranger in the back of the store, Daenerys plucked a pen off of the front counter and pulled off the lid.

To kill the time, she drew on her arm. In front of her, dragons and flowers came to life on her skin.

Ever since Daenerys was little, she reveled in the ability to create something beautiful with only a pen and her imagination. As she grew older, she still drew on her arms, wondering if she should settle on a design and get something tattooed onto her skin, but she always talked herself out of it. She enjoyed the open canvas that her skin gave her and when she was done with a particular drawing, then she would simply wash it off in the shower and she’d have another blank canvas to create something else on.

With a smile, Daenerys blew on the ink, very pleased with the quality of this pen and wondering if the man would let her buy it from him...or at least tell her where he had got it so she could pick up one of her own.

The ink flowed as smoothly and carefree as her wild imaginings and didn’t blotch or smear when she accidently rubbed against it.

Glancing towards the back, Daenerys bit her lower lip and started drawing a bear next to the dragon, her eyes snapping up when she saw the man coming back, a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

Handing her the bundle of purple, orange, and yellow flowers, the man smiled at her.

“There you go.”

Her fingers brushed his as she grabbed them from him, her eyes dropping to the black markings on his hand.

“What’s that?” Daenerys questioned, violet eyes flicking up to his as his dropped down to his hand.

He chuckled and smiled gently.

“Ah, well my soulmate is a wonderful artist and blesses me with ink on my arm.” He looked up at her and Daenerys swore she felt her heart stop in her chest when she looked closer at the swirling designs on his swarthy skin.

Setting the flowers on the front desk, she grabbed the pen again and handed it to him.

“Write your name on your arm.” He blinked at her in confusion, but grabbed the pen anyways.

Writing his name on his arm, far enough away from the dragons and bear that it didn’t interfere with the work of art, he handed her back the pen.

Daenerys, shakily, looked down at her own arm and popped the lid off of the pen once more, adding one last thing before putting the pen back down.

Her eyes met his breathlessly and she nodded down to his arm when he stared at her in bewilderment.

Slowly, oh-so slowly, the man looked down at his arm and saw that there was now a second name and a heart around the both of them.

_Jorah + Daenerys_

His eyes shot up to hers, his mouth dropping open for a moment before he snapped it shut, unsure as to what he was even going to say.

“I didn’t think you even existed.” Daenerys showed him the matching drawings on her arm and he just blinked in amazement.

“For decades...I didn’t think you existed either.” The man, _Jorah_ , sighed tiredly, his expression more melancholic than she would have thought someone who had just met their soulmate would have.

The idea that her soulmate wasn’t happy with her hit her hard and she felt like crying.

“Do...do I disappoint you?” Daenerys asked, unsure if she could deal with, not only being dumped by her boyfriend, but having a soulmate that didn’t want her as well.

“W-what!? No! Of course not!” Jorah flinched when she asked him that, shaking his head adamantly, his eyes sad. “I...surely you are disappointed though?” Jorah continued and her eyebrows lifted up near to her forehead.

“Why would _I_ be disappointed?” She about laughed, taking a step closer to him, but still maintaining a respectable distance from him as they were still strangers, soulmates or not.

Jorah blinked at her then snorted, cocking an eyebrow at her as he wondered whether she was being serious in her naivety.

“I’m old enough to be your father.”

“So? I don’t care.” She paused, holding her breath then asked, “Do you care?”

His blue eyes searched her face for any sign of a lie but he found nothing and let out a breath.

“No...not if it doesn’t bother you.”

She smiled widely and took another step towards him, letting her hand rest on his chest, her fingers running over the bear that was on his green sweater before running her hand up to thread through his scratchy beard.

Daenerys felt his breath catch in his chest as she pressed her breasts against him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“What are you doing for the holidays?” She asked him, watching as he swallowed deeply, her close proximity affecting him greatly.

“N-nothing much really. Was just going to spend it alone, watch a movie or something.” He shrugged, placing his large hands on her waist cautiously and hesitantly. “How about you?”

Daenerys pulled out of his grasp and ran her hand through her hair nervously.

“Well, my original plan was to spend it with my boyfriend...”

“Jon?”

She looked up at him in shock, wondering how in the world he knew Jon’s name, but just held his wrist up with a wry smile.

“You wrote his name on your arm a few times, with a little heart around it.”

Her mouth ran dry at this knowledge, knowing that Jorah would have sat there, looking down at another man’s name on his arm, written there by his soulmate and the pain he must have felt knowing that she was loving on another man.

“Oh...”

Her expression must have fallen as she suddenly felt guilty but he shook his head and rested his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

“Don’t feel bad. I’ve been married twice, so...” He shrugged shyly and she looked at him, now curious, but she decided to ask him about his marriages later, now just didn’t feel right.

“Anyways, since Jon broke up with me, I’m not going to spend it with him anymore.” She smiled mischievously at him, batting her eyes.

“Now I have new plans to spend it with a handsome man I just met and get to know him better.”

He nodded absentmindedly, his eyes darting away for a brief moment before he looked back at her, smiling at her.

“That’s good then.” Jorah replied tightly, the thinly veiled jealousy breaking through his tone.

“Yes it is. I just need to know where you live...or I suppose we could spend it at the apartment I still need to find.” Daenerys realized that she still hadn’t found another place to live, since she was _not_ staying in the same apartment that she shared with Jon.

“Oh. Oh!” The realization that she was talking about him hit Jorah and he chuckled, dipping his head slightly as he smiled at her.

“Or...perhaps...you could...” He trailed off and she cocked an eyebrow at him, urging him to continue his thought.

“You could stay with me. I have an extra room.”

Daenerys grinned at him, feeling a blush cover her cheeks as she nodded.

“If you don’t mind. It will give us an opportunity to get to know each other.”

Jorah smiled, his features softening as he looked at her in amazement and disbelief.

\------

Unlocking the door to her and Jon’s apartment, Daenerys slipped in, hoping that Jon wasn’t home right now so she wouldn’t have to talk to him.

She quickly went to her room and started packing her few belongings, giddy at the idea that she was _actually_ moving in with her soulmate.

A man that she had no idea had existed only this morning, yet somehow had fallen into a comfortable friendship with him in the few hours that they had chatted back at his flower shop.

Daenerys had learned that the shop was his second wife’s idea and he had gone along with it to make her happy. When they had divorced four years ago, Jorah had decided to just keep the shop since it was bringing him in money and it was admittedly relaxing, especially after the years he spent deployed in the military.

“Dany?” Letting out a deep sigh, Daenerys shut her eyes for a moment as she packed before she turned and looked at the dark haired man that stood in her doorway.

“You don’t have to leave...you know that right?” Jon told her, eyeing her bags almost sadly and full of regret.

“I know. I’m just moving in with my soulmate.” Daenerys said with a bright smile, thinking of the man that was waiting for her out in front of the apartment building with his motorcycle.

She had to say, the hurt expression that crossed over Jon’s face made her smile even more, knowing that he was starting to regret letting her go.

“I thought you said you didn’t have a soulmate...” His voice bordered on accusing and she just shrugged carelessly.

“I thought that I didn’t. He never wrote anything on his arm so I never got any clue that I did.” Zipping up her last bag, Daenerys picked up her two suitcases and started heading out to the living area, Jon following close behind her.

“Who is he?” Jon questioned with a frown and Daenerys about laughed at his jealous tone.

Violet eyes met dark brown for a moment as she smiled insincerely at him.

“Now that really isn’t any of your business...” Cocking an eyebrow at his boyish glower she laughed and rolled her eyes.

“But if you must know, he owns a flower shop...” Jon smirked at this. “And is a retired military general. Quite a bear of a man who looks like he would have _no_ qualms about killing someone.”

Daenerys held back the grin that threatened to form on her face when his smirk dropped, his face paling slightly.

_Of course, Jorah may look like he will kill you, but he sure hides his gentle heart and sweet nature under all of that gruffness...not that I’m going to tell **that** to Jon._

“P-perhaps this isn’t a good idea Dany. You moving in with him.” Jon swallowed, following her to the door with the intent of getting her to stay. “It’s not too uncommon for soulmates to _not_ be together.” He offered and she just looked at him unimpressed.

“I don’t know...maybe I just need a change of scenery.” Daenerys shrugged and grinned as she went on.

“I’m _so_ over your genteel ways Jon. What I’m into now is the idea of being _ravaged_ by a muscular, six foot something bear who rides a motorcycle.”

She about burst into laughter at his horrified expression, but instead grabbed her bags and started heading out of the apartment. Jon followed closely behind, blabbering on about how he cared for her and didn’t want to see her get hurt.

Ignoring him, Daenerys smiled when she came out front and saw Jorah waiting for her. Ever the gentleman, Jorah grabbed her bags from her and hooked them to his bike, ensuring they were secured.

Jon froze when he saw that Daenerys wasn’t kidding about the man’s size and demeanor, suddenly even more afraid that she was making a big mistake.

“Dany please...reconsider this.” Jon looked at her like a kicked puppy dog which, while it may have worked in the past, did nothing for the silver haired woman now.

“Oh! Right. This is for you.” She remembered the bouquet of flowers and handed them to Jon with a smile, seeing the way that he grew confused about the mixed signals she seemed to sending him. “Happy Holidays Jon.”

A small smile grew on the dark haired man’s face, thinking that _perhaps_ he still had a chance with her.

Daenerys swung her leg over the bike, settling comfortably behind Jorah and wrapped her arms around his waist as he started the engine up. As the engine purred, Daenerys looked at Jon with a grin.

“The flowers have a meaning by the way, a hidden message if you will.” Fluttering her eyes at him, Daenerys watched as Jon smiled at her, his eyes telling her that he still cared for her.

His smile dropped almost violently at her next words though and even Jorah couldn’t help but chuckle quietly.

“They mean _Fuck You._ ”

With those parting words, she and Jorah drove off, leaving Jon standing on the sidewalk as snowflakes landed softly in his curly hair.

\----

“Is now a bad time to tell you I’ve never done this?” Flashing her bright violet eyes up at Jorah, Daenerys smiled nervously at him.

They had been living together for nine days now and Daenerys was stunned with how quickly they had fallen into a domestic routine.

She wasn’t complaining of course, waking up to a delicious breakfast and Jorah’s gentle smiles kept her feeling warm and fuzzy even as the temperature outside kept dropping lower with each passing day.

With Christmas being next week, Jorah had decided that they should do something together. She had agreed, only having caught the tail end of what he had said because she was too busy daydreaming what it would be like to kiss him, to feel his scratchy beard against her lips and his tongue dancing with hers.

Of what it would be like to slip her nightgown from her shoulders and the expression he would have on his face when he finally saw her naked. Of how he’d cross the room over to her once he had recovered and run his soft, yet slightly calloused fingers over her bare skin, from her shoulders down lower to her thighs then back up, but only slightly to the apex of her legs where he would find her wet and willing for him to make love to her.

So when his deep, grumbling tone suddenly came to a halt as he finished speaking, Daenerys noticed that he seemed to be waiting for her to answer his question.

Whatever his question had been.

She didn’t want to admit that she hadn’t been listening so she nodded and said that sounded good.

Which was obviously an acceptable answer since he smiled at her and didn’t bring it up again.

So that was how Daenerys ended up sitting on a small wooden bench, nervously slipping on a pair of ice skates that they had rented.

“Well...there’s a first time for everything right?” Jorah chuckled gently and knelt down in the snow to help her put on the skate, having noticed her struggling with it.

“Y-yeah. I guess so.” She tittered apprehensively and met his eyes when he looked up at her.

He stopped partway through tying her laces and furrowed his eyebrows as his eyes met hers.

“If you don’t feel comfortable doing this...then I will not force you to do something you don’t want to.” Jorah’s voice betrayed his worry that he was pressuring her into skating, but she shook her head adamantly and smiled.

“I do want to try. I just know I’m going to make a fool out of myself.” The last thing she wanted was to look incapable of doing something that even young children could do...in front of the man that she had slowly been falling in love with.

His lips quirked up in amusement and he finished up with her skates before standing up and offering her his hand.

“I won’t let you fall, I promise.” Jorah’s hand dwarfed her own as she slipped her hand into his and stood on wobbly legs.

Daenerys was focusing on trying to ensure that she didn’t fall or twist her ankle as Jorah slowly led her to the frozen lake, both of her hands gripped tightly in his.

She glanced up at him once they were on the ice, the slipperiness of the ice making her tense and lock her knees so her feet didn’t shoot out from under her.

Jorah was smiling at her, pulling her along unhurriedly as he skated backwards on the ice. Daenerys was sure she looked like one of those wooden toys she had had as a child, the ones that had wheels and a string that you pulled it along on like a dog.

“Relax a bit Daenerys.” She dragged her eyes up from her feet to meet his eyes, still tense, but looking into his deep blue eyes, Daenerys knew that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

Releasing a breath and loosening her knees, Daenerys let him move them across the ice for a few more moments as she watched the way he shifted his feet to push/pull them along.

Still holding onto his hands, she tried to mimic his movements and felt herself be somewhat successful in doing so.

“There you go.” Jorah praised her and she broke out into a bright grin, her happiness shining through her violet eyes.

Eyes that widened immensely when he suddenly let go of her hands and skated backwards a few paces, leaving Daenerys to flail her arms wildly to regain her balance.

“Jorah!” Giving him a look that betrayed her slight panic, Daenerys held her arms out towards him and wiggled her fingers to plead with him to return to her as she still didn’t feel ready to be on her own.

He just grinned at her and held his hand out to her, still too far away for her to grab.

“Come get me.” Jorah urged her on, meeting her eyes challengingly.

Narrowing her eyes at him, Daenerys pursed her lips.

_Challenge accepted._

Arms held out straight, legs bent at the knees, bum lowered down towards the ice, Daenerys knew she must look like a fool as she managed to move slightly towards Jorah, her skates gliding on the frozen top of the pond.

When she reached him, Daenerys grabbed tightly onto his arms and frowned at the way he was trying his damn best to not smile at her ice skating form.

“Oh don’t laugh at me.” She tried to be serious, but ended up giggling, her face hiding against his chest.

“I would never.” Jorah chuckled along with her, sounding innocent, but she knew better.

“Here, relax and let me lead you.” She did as he said and felt her heart flutter when he gripped onto her hips from behind, leading her movements as he showed her how to skate.

Daenerys trusted him as he led their skating, swaying side to side as one leg shoved them forward then the other one. They moved around the lake a few times, repeating the motions over and over and Daenerys got lost in the repetitiveness of the movements and the thought that Jorah was hers.

Her cheeks were cold, her breath coming out in puffs, and she could feel that her nose was starting to run from the chill, but simply being here with this kind man made her realize that _maybe_ winter had its charms too.

Rounding around the lake again, Daenerys froze as she was met with the sight of a grinning Jorah standing and watching her from afar.

She hadn’t even noticed when he left her side, nor did she know how long she was on her own or how she was able to even skate on her own.

Just like that, even though she had been fine on her lonesome moments ago, she felt like she suddenly couldn’t balance and found herself slipping on the ice, landing hard on her bum.

Jorah skated over to her and helped her up apologetically, but she just smiled at him.

Together, they made their way back over to the bench and took the skates off.

“How long...” Daenerys started and grinned when he answered her question before she even finished it.

“About one go arounds. You did perfectly on your own.” Jorah said with a hint of pride in his voice and she soaked it all up, not being used to receiving praise from anyone.

“Until I realized you left me.” Daenerys laughed, resting her hand on his thigh and looking at him, the air around them changing as their eyes met.

Her eyes dropped down to his lips, then flicked back up to his confused blue gaze. Leaning forwards slightly, her eyes started to flutter shut for a moment, but then he turned his head away from her, his ears and cheeks turning a bright red.

“Don’t worry about it, I did much of the same the first time I went skating.” He cleared his throat and Daenerys felt like she was swimming in clouds, slightly stunned and confused as to why he had turned away from her when she was trying to kiss him.

Standing up, Jorah offered his hand to her and she took it with a sense of melancholy, something she tried to shake away since she understood that they had only known each other for less than two weeks and he may not be ready to take that next step with her quite yet.

They returned the skates and Jorah took her to a small café, buying her a hot chocolate and all was forgiven.

Holding her cup in one hand and his hand in her other, Daenerys had a huge smile on her face as they walked down the sidewalk side by side, feeling like the grey sky couldn’t bring her mood down, not even as more snow fell from the clouds and gathered in her silver hair, dripping down her face as it melted on her warm skin.

\-----

“You’re kidding me.”

Daenerys’ eyebrows were raised up to her forehead in disbelief.

“You’ve never built a snowman?”

Jorah shook his head at her, meeting her wide violet eyes with a sense of amusement.

“No, I haven’t. Why is that so hard to believe?” Jorah chuckled when she grabbed his arm and started trying to get him up from his seat. “What are you doing?”

“We are going to remedy this tragedy.” Daenerys told him seriously and he laughed, standing up and letting her lead him to where their boots were set by the front door.

Deciding that it was easier to go along with her plan, Jorah slipped his boots on and grabbed his jacket, his lips quirking up as he watched Daenerys bundle herself up in her puffy winter coat, scarf, gloves, hat and earmuffs.

“You going to be warm enough?” He teased and she sent him a _look_ , opening the door as she ignored his teasing and went outside.

Snow crunching under their boots, Daenerys turned to Jorah and grinned at him, picking up a handful of snow.

“First, you start with a small snowball, like this.” Packing the snow into a ball, she held it up to show it to him, seeing the way that he couldn’t help but smile at her.

“Seems simple enough.” He grabbed a handful of the white snow and formed a ball, waiting for her next instructions. “Now what?” Sure, he knew _how_ to make a snowman, it was just something that his father had berated him for doing once, expecting more from his son that other fathers with boys Jorah’s age.

“You get down on the ground and roll it.” Even though she knew that her pant legs were going to get wet, Daenerys went onto her knees and started rolling up the snowball, watching as Jorah did the same next to her.

She knew they would look odd, two full grown adults playing in the snow like they were young children again, but there was just something about Jorah that made her feel bubbly and atop the world.

_I wonder if everyone else feels the same with their soulmate._

Smiling brightly, Daenerys finished her snowball then started on the next one.

By the time that Daenerys was done with the three somewhat round snowballs, she looked over to see how Jorah was doing and started laughing.

He was struggling to roll his snowman’s body over, the top of it coming up to his waist and was large enough for Jorah to hide behind if he crouched down.

“You planning on making a giant?” She giggled, coming over and marveling in the size of his snowball. He gave up on moving it any further with a huff.

“No. I...wasn’t really thinking about the size honestly.” He wasn’t going to tell her that he had gotten distracted by how adorable and beautiful she was, crawling around on her knees as she rolled the snow with a sense of purpose.

“Perhaps you should pay more attention for the next one.” Daenerys teased, returning back to her snowballs and started to form her snowman.

She found a couple of rocks from the landscaping, using them for the mouth and eyes. Wrapping her scarf around its neck, Daenerys took a step back to look over her creation with a smile, her gaze going over to Jorah’s.

He looked over to Daenerys, his expression boyish as he grinned proudly at her.

Coming to come stand by his side, she cocked her head to the side, trying to make out what he had done to his.

On top of the huge snowball was a smaller one that had two lumps on the top of it, but for the life of her she couldn’t figure out what it was supposed to be.

“It’s a bear.” He told her, having noticed her confusion and she laughed, turning to meet his eyes in amusement.

“You’re adorable, you know that Jorah?” She told the tall, gruff man that had slowly wormed his way into her heart and he just huffed.

“Adorable? I don’t think I’ve ever been called that before.” Daenerys knew that he wouldn’t typically be classified as the adorable type, but once you got past his cold, distant demeanor, he really was a soft, teddy bear underneath all his gruffness.

“Well you are.” Jorah didn’t fight her on her proclamation, instead his cheeks turned a soft shade of pink that she knew the cold, winter air hadn’t caused.

Stepping closer to him, Daenerys stood on her tiptoes and rested her hand on his chest. She pressed her lips to his stubbly cheek, her lips warm against his cold skin.

She lingered slightly longer than what was necessary before moving back and looking at him, at the way his eyes had slipped shut and his breaths came out in short, rapid puffs.

He opened his eyes and met hers, smiling shyly at her as she reached out to take his hand in hers.

“Let’s go back inside. It’s cold out here.” He didn’t argue with her, following her back to the house where they could warm up with a mug of apple cider in front of the fireplace.

\----

Blinking the blurriness from his eyes, Jorah squinted up at the form that was standing over his bed and trying to get him to wake up.

“Wake up! It’s Christmas!” Bouncing slightly on the edge of his bed, Daenerys shook his shoulder again, giggling when he grumbled and pulled the covers over his head.

“Jorah come on! It’s Christmas morning!” She yanked at the covers, laughing as he refused to release the death hold he seemed to have on the blanket.

“What time is it?” Jorah’s muffled voice came from underneath the blanket and she glanced at the clock by his bed.

“5:33. Now get up or else I’m going to open all my presents...” She told him, then when he didn’t move added on; “And yours while I’m at it.”

That got him pulling the covers down far enough to squint up at her blearily.

“Must we get up so early?” He grumbled, sitting up in bed, his back cracking and popping as he stretched his arms over his head, displaying his naked chest to her unintentionally.

“Of course we do. Or else Santa’s elves will come and take all of our presents away.” Daenerys told him matter-of-factly, raising an eyebrow at him when he looked at her oddly.

“I’ve never heard that one before.” He chuckled as he pushed himself out of bed, oblivious to Daenerys’ stare.

“My brother told me that was where most of my presents went when we were younger.” Daenerys was disappointed when he slipped a shirt over his head, covering his broad chest from her lustful stares.

Grabbing onto his arm, Daenerys followed him out into the living room where their small tree was. She plugged in the lights and beamed at the tree happily, glad that Jorah had humored her in getting one.

She had been horrified when he had told her, a few days after she had moved into his house, that he hadn’t been planning on getting one since he had not had one in years.

Picking up one of the presents that she had gotten for him, Daenerys set it on his lap and climbed onto the couch next to him eagerly.

“Open it?”

“Why don’t you find one of yours and we’ll open them together?” Jorah was uncomfortable with being the focus of attention and Daenerys seemed to pick up on this, standing up and finding a perfectly wrapped present that put her wrapping abilities to shame.

She sat down next to him, settling the present on her crossed legs as she looked at him.

Together, they opened their presents, one by one and were consistently stunned by the thoughtfulness of each one they got.

The last one Daenerys opened made her break out in a huge grin.

Holding the dragon shaped pot that she had seen in Jorah’s flower shop on that fateful day she met him, Daenerys set it carefully on the coffee table and wrapped him into a hug, her arms circling his neck.

“I’d ask how you knew that I liked dragons...but I’m sure it was from all the dragons that appeared on your arm.” Daenerys whispered into his neck as she melted against his warmth and pine scent.

“It was just a lucky guess.” He teased, holding onto her like she was a fragile doll that he was afraid of breaking.

“Uh huh, sure.” Resting her forehead against his, Daenerys shifted so she sat in his lap, her legs cradling his hips. She could hear the way he swallowed deeply, being affected by her nearness and maybe the fact that her bum was pressed firmly against his groin, which was only covered by his thin pajama bottoms.

His fingers pressed into her hips as he slowly became more comfortable with her closeness.

_If only he knew that I’m not wearing anything underneath my nightgown._

Her lips quirked up slightly as this knowledge ran through her head briefly, his eyes flickering with a hint of confusion at her amusement, an emotion that shifted quickly to lust when she swirled her hips against his clothed cock.

“You naughty girl.” Jorah groaned breathily, making Daenerys giggle as she ran her hand through the hair at the back of his head.

“Are you going to punish me?” Pressing her nose against his, all it would have taken was for her to move her head slightly and their lips would be touching.

“If you keep this up I might have to.”

She laughed as he moved her off his lap and stood up, casually trying to shift his pants, though it did nothing to hide the tenting.

Jorah insisted on making her breakfast and she honestly enjoyed watching him move around the kitchen with a purpose. He was always painfully cute as he handed her the plate he had done up for her and waited for her verdict.

He had never disappointed her and she had jokingly told him one day that he should consider making a career out of it. Jorah had just laughed and told her that the flower shop was more than enough for him.

As she watched him wash the dishes afterwards, her eyes wandering shamelessly over his firm arse, Daenerys thought about how, only a few weeks ago, she had thought she would have to settle on spending Christmas alone and being bitter about Jon leaving her.

But now...

Now she was spending the holiday with her soulmate.

As he was drying his hands with a dish rag, Daenerys grabbed a pen and wrote three little words that held an enormous weight to them on her arm and stared at him, waiting for him to see it.

She could pinpoint the moment he did because he froze, his eyes shooting up to hers in shock. His eyes searched hers for a long while, for what? She wasn’t sure, but he turned and grabbed a pen from the drawer next to him and wrote something on his arm in return.

**_I love you too you little minx_ **

Daenerys burst into a fit of laughter, pleased when he joined in with her.

Jorah came over to her and she slipped her hand into his, standing up and closing the distance between them. She pressed her scantily clad breasts against his chest, wondering if he could feel her hardened nipples through the layers of their clothing.

“May I kiss you?” Jorah whispered sweetly, his nose brushing against her.

Daenerys beamed giddily, her eyes sparkling as she nodded.

Her eyes slipped shut when finally... 

_Finally..._

His lips slid over hers, his beard scratching pleasantly against her face as she circled her arms around his neck to pull him closer.

Her tongue asked for entrance, teasing his lower lip for a few moments before he granted her access and their tongues danced a lover’s tune. Daenerys was pleasantly surprised at how sweet his mouth was and she knew that she was going to become addicted to the taste of Jorah’s kisses.

She would have to make sure that he kisses her well and kisses her often.

Jorah backed her into the table, slotting himself between her legs as he kissed her senseless. His erection was very noticeably pressed against her core and she moaned into his mouth.

When he went to lift her onto the table, she pressed her hand against his chest and pushed at him lightly.

Jorah stumbled backwards at her clear order and began to apologize profusely, having misunderstood her intention of having them move somewhere that wasn’t the kitchen with her not wanting to take their relationship further.

Pressing both of her hands against his chest, Daenerys led him back to the living room, stopping once they were in front of the fireplace.

“There, this is better.” She whispered against his lips, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him down on top of her as she laid down on the bear skin rug, the fire in the hearth crackling.

Having him cradled between her spread thighs felt like her world was finally aligning. The men that she had been with previous always gave her a feeling that she was lacking _something_ , none of them have given her the sense of being _whole_.

But Jorah?

Jorah hadn’t even gotten her naked and she felt like she was home with him.

_This._

_This is what it means to be with your soulmate._

_This overwhelming sense of love and belonging._

_This never-ending heart pounding and butterfly fluttering that set every nerve alight whenever I look at him and he at me._

Daenerys ground her hips up against his as he ran his hands over her body, exploring every crevice and curve with an attention that bordered on worship.

She moaned as his hands pawed at her thinly covered breasts, his thumbs brushing against her pebbled nipples through her slip.

“Jorah...” She said breathily, reaching down his body and digging her fingers into his arse in an attempt to pull him closer.

“What do you want love?” Jorah breathed into her ear, sending shivers running down her body.

She decided right then that she loved hearing him call her that.

“You.”

He chuckled against her neck, then let his hands move down to her thighs, brushing his calloused fingers over the soft skin as he slid her nightgown up over her hips.

While Jorah explored her body, she wasted no time in getting his shirt off, making sure that when she threw it to the side, she didn’t end up throwing it into the fire that flickered nearby them.

She wasn’t sure who ended up getting his pants off, but when his hard cock brushed against her entrance, Daenerys spread her legs further to accommodate him.

“Are you sure Daenerys?” Jorah’s breathy voice questioned into her ear and she was stunned that he felt it necessary to even ask, given how wet she was for him.

“Gods yes Jorah.”

He rested his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes.

Daenerys got lost in the endless blue ocean of his love-filled gaze, her breath sucking in when he oh-so-slowly penetrated her, his eyes never leaving hers.

Once he was sheathed to the hilt inside of her, Daenerys let her eyes flutter shut for a moment, feeling every small movement as he pulled out from her, only to sink back down in one go.

Kissing her nose, her forehead, her cheeks, Jorah finally got her attention again and she opened her eyes to stare up into his.

As he started up a rhythm between them, Daenerys tried to match him thrust by thrust, her legs wrapping around his waist as she eventually just gave into his experienced movements.

_There sure is a benefit to having an older lover._

She would have giggled at the thought, but Jorah was too busy drawing moans from her.

\---

Laying on his chest in the aftermath of their lovemaking, Daenerys ran her fingers over his hairy torso with a pleased smile.

“You okay love?” Jorah’s chest rumbled with the question and she huffed a laugh.

“I’m perfect.” Daenerys replied, mumbling against his flushed skin. “No...I’m more than perfect.”

Jorah chuckled and let his hand run down her sweaty back reverently as he silently wondered what god had decided to bless him with the universe’s most perfect and wonderful soulmate.

“Is there anything you wanted to do today?” He asked her, feeling her hum thoughtfully.

“More of this?” She said, sounding very content being where she was, laying in his arms in front of a fire.

Jorah laughed softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Anything other than this?”

She looked up at him, her violet eyes shining with love.

“Honestly, no. I just want to spend today with you.” Daenerys had never felt as content as she did now.

Kissing him again, she rested her head on his chest and resumed playing with his hair.

Viserys had always told her, growing up, that dragons don’t plant trees.

But laying here with Jorah, the steady thrum of his heart beating underneath her cheek and his rough fingers caressing her hips lovingly...

Daenerys agreed with Viserys.

Dragons don’t plant trees...

But this one will plant flowers.

Flowers had ultimately brought Jorah into her life when she walked into that quaint little flower shop of his and come spring time, Daenerys looked forward to saying goodbye to the cold grips of winter and greeting the blooming flowers with a smile.

Although she had to admit that cuddling on the bear skin rug in front of the fire with Jorah made the cold weather more bearable.

**Author's Note:**

> I posted the picture on my tumblr, lorcansilvano  
> I read through this quite a few times to make sure there weren't any mistakes, but I apologize if I missed any. 
> 
> This December collection has been the best thing ever and I'm glad that I was able to contribute something small at least :)


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